


Ten Lashes

by scapeartist



Series: 15-Minute Masterpieces [7]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Captain Hook | Killian Jones Backstory, Gen, Jones Brothers, Vomiting, Whipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2016-05-02
Packaged: 2018-06-05 20:56:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6723046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scapeartist/pseuds/scapeartist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The prompt for this story was "Liam Jones (the older) and courage." The first time Killian truly understands the level of Liam’s courage and love for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ten Lashes

**Author's Note:**

> Each one-shot in this series is part of a writing prompt exercise. I was having some trouble getting into the writing groove again and asked for a word and a character, and from there I would spend at least 15 minutes writing, I would not heavily edit, nor would I use a beta. This was purely me needing to get my brain moving. The "Masterpiece" part is tongue-in-cheek (even if most of these are not bad at all).

“ _I_ did it. Now let him go.”

Killian tugged his arm from the tight grasp of the barrel-chested First Mate and glared at him. He rubbed at his wrist trying to get rid of the deep impressions left by the First Mate’s beefy fingers as Liam grabbed him by the back of the shirt and pulled Killian slightly behind him.

The First Mate grinned, his smile cold and lacking a full complement of teeth, and folded his thick arms over his chest.

“Did ye now, laddie?”

“Aye. Leave my brother alone.”

“You don’t expect me to believe ye, do you?”

Liam stood tall, just a head and shoulders taller than Killian himself, and took a half step forward, blocking some of Killian’s view. He thought the man, Barnes, looked like a cat ready to play with the mouse it trapped. He bunched his fist in Liam’s shirt tail, stopping his brother from getting closer to Barnes.

“Liam, no!” Killian whispered. His hand shook and his throat tightened.

Ignoring Killian, Liam shook his head. “I don’t care what you believe. I confessed, that should be enough.”

Barnes tilted his head and rubbed his chin. “You know the rules, boy. Someone has to be punished. Theft is a serious offense. You can’t just go stealin’ food from the mouths of the crew.”

“Maybe if you fed us a fair ration, I wouldn’t have to steal.”

“Captain won’t waste extra rations on the likes of you two. Get topside, now, Jones. Count yerself lucky it’s just the lash.” Barnes turned and climbed the steps to the deck.

Killian’s grip on Liam’s shirt tightened. Tears welled in his eyes. “You can’t, Liam. _I_ did it. _I_ should be the one to take the punishment.”

Liam turned and put his hand on Killian’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Hush, little brother. I won’t let them hurt you. Now stay down here. I’ll be fine.”

“Jones!” a voice called from above.

“Aye, sir, I’m on my way.” He looked at Killian over his shoulder and smiled briefly as he made his way up the steps.

As the punishment to be metered out was read—five lashes for each missing piece of food, totaling ten lashes—Killian snuck up the stairs and hid behind a group of barrels. Through the gaps, he could see clearly where Liam stood on deck, his arms outstretched, hands white-knuckled as they held onto a pair of rope loops hanging from the mast, and his thin, bare, back to the First Mate.

At the first crack of the lash hitting Liam’s skin, Killian threw up. Seeing the bread he’d nicked from the galley now in a mashed, damp mess on the deck made him weep. With each snap of the the whip and grunt from Liam, Killian winced, fresh tears rolling over his cheeks. He couldn’t watch any longer, and when the last lash was given, he snuck back down to the hold to wait for Liam.

A few minutes later, after Killian had tried to put himself to rights, Barnes and another crewman, Moss, came down supporting Liam between them with little effort on their part. They all but shoved him at Killian, the young boy just barely able to hold his brother up on his own.

“Let that be a lesson to ye both,” Barnes spat as he turned and left the boys. Moss tossed a clean rag on the crate closest to Killian and followed.

Liam sat heavily on another crate, cringing with the movement, his eyes closed, and his curly hair plastered to his head in sweaty ringlets.

“Are they gone, Killian?”

“Aye.”

“Good. Now. I got punished for _two_ stolen goods. Might as well collect my share, eh?”

Killian reached into his pocket and produced the other piece of bread he’d been holding for Liam. The older boy broke it in half and gave some back to Killian.

“Cheers, brother.”

Killian sniffed, stashing it back in his pocket, nauseous at the thought of it, and reached for the cloth and the small bucket of water he’d grabbed while he waited for Liam’s return.

“Far cry from Mama’s bread, eh, Killian?” Liam said around a mouthful.

He handed a dipper of water to Liam for him to drink before he used what was left to clean the welts on his brother’s back.

“Liam, I promise not to steal again if you promise not to take my punishments.” 

Arching his back slightly as the first pass of the wet cloth touched his burning skin, Liam laughed. “Let’s neither of us make promises we can’t keep, little brother.”


End file.
